Washington: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, has called for more American investment in Pakistan and more trade between the two countries to strengthen ties.
In a speech at the World Affairs Council in Philadelphia, he urged US businesses to increase their investment portfolio, particularly in technology start-ups, renewable energy, agriculture and mining.
“Pakistan is a good market for American manufacturers,” the ambassador told a gathering of academics, politicians, lawmakers, entrepreneurs, business leaders and experts. “If you make a modern product, you have 240 million consumers in Pakistan,” he said.
In his speech, Ambassador Masood Khan touched on Pakistan-US relations, war against terrorism, recalibration of bilateral relations in the post-withdrawal period, Pakistan-India relations and regional stability issues. In this case, he focused on the investment and trade opportunities available between the two countries, which opened the way for new relations.
The Ambassador gave an overview of Pak-US relations, particularly the US support for Pakistan in its early days and the strong cooperation between the two countries in times of war and peace, spanning seven decades. the two countries are now investing people in centralized diplomacy.
“We have great human capital and growing. Pakistan is digitally connected to the whole world and tech-savvy, with hundreds of institutions investing in future technology.”
“We have cooperated and together we have broken the back of the terrorist organization. Al-Qaeda is not where it was in 2001-02. There is awareness throughout the world about the asymmetric threat of terrorism. International civilization and how to deal with it.” Masood Khan said about cooperation against terrorism.
In late 2021 and early 2022, the leaders of Pakistan and the United States renewed their relations, saying, “We will continue to cooperate by fighting terrorism, promoting regional stability, continuing dialogue, and we want to protect the region from any nuclear instability. etc.
At the same time, he said, they have started working to strengthen economic cooperation.
“When I came here in 2022, there were 7,000 Pakistani students studying in American universities. Now there are more than 10,000,” he said. In this regard, he pointed to the renewal of the science and technology cooperation agreement between the two countries.
Regarding Pakistan’s relations with China, the ambassador reiterated that relations with China do not interfere with relations with the United States.
Referring to Pakistan’s historic role in bringing China and the United States closer together in the early 70s, he said that Pakistan was ready to play the role of an economic bridge between the two countries.
The Ambassador said that since 2014, there has been no structured dialogue between the two countries on Pak-India relations. Emphasizing the need for a structured, results-oriented dialogue, Masood Khan said, “We need to create the necessary atmosphere to build each other up.”
Masood Khan pointed out the strategic imbalance in South Asia and the US to India and urged the US government to take a balanced approach. “The US’s serious approach to India reinforces a strategic imbalance that poses serious risks.”
The Ambassador also stressed the need to fully restore Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and to combat the terrorist threat.
The ambassador called on the United States to show leadership and independence in the situation in the Middle East.
The Ambassador invited the participants to visit Pakistan and experience the country’s beauty and traditional hospitality.
“Pakistan has 7,500 glaciers, second only to polar regions,” he said.
The Ambassador thanked Lauren Swartz, President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, for welcoming him.
